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A year after cancellations, H-BC spring music programs look different

Lead Summary
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By
Mavis Fodness

Music education has taken different forms at Hills-Beaver Creek Schools this school year, as staff and students follow precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
To meet social distance requirements, K-12 music teachers Steve Olson and Amy Comp instruct in the secondary gymnasium, where students can be the recommended 9 to 12 feet apart as they rehearse.
All choir students wear masks, said Comp, “which makes singing uncomfortable and, with the social distancing, it’s very hard to hear our neighbors while we sing, which has added even more challenges.”
Comp, who is in her second year of teaching at H-BC, has limited the amount of singing time and turned to more project-based learning such as listening exercises.
 “When the weather was nicer in the fall (and again as we move into the spring) we took our classroom outside sometimes.”
For band teacher Olson, his students also meet in the gym with the added precautions of bell covers and other devices that inhibit the spread of virus particles by air.
He said an aerosol study through the University of Colorado at Boulder provided guidelines that he followed with band members.
“We also started at 12-foot interval seating and currently we’re at 6 feet,” said Olson, who is in his third year at H-BC.
“We have a daily rotating student cleaning crew that wipes down the music stands and seats at the end of the every-other-day rehearsals. Since the gym is shared with many others, there’s a lot of setting up and tearing down.”
A year ago, all spring concerts and other music opportunities were canceled when the pandemic was declared in March 2020. While some musical activities outside the district have yet to return, concerts are making a comeback with a new format.
On Monday, April 26, virtual elementary choir concerts will be broadcast. Taping will take place early next week for kindergarten through fifth-grade choral concerts.
Band students will have their performances live-streamed with the secondary choral students in two separate events.
The grades 5-8 band and 6-8 choral concert will be at 7 p.m. Monday, May 10.
Grades 9-12 band and choir students will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, May 21. In-person audience members will be limited during the recording.
Even recorded, the concerts provide important learning opportunities.
“Band is a performance-based class,” Olson said. “We are always preparing for our next concert — working as a team toward a common goal is a great life skill.”
Both teachers use technology to supplement the time between in-person rehearsals.
Olson said a few of his students continue to learn from home, “operating Zoom has become second nature,” and Comp said technology has found a regular home in her classroom.
“I’ve also spent more time doing listening projects than I have in the past, which has given us a chance to explore music that I normally wouldn’t have experience with my classes,” she said.
“Our concerts and performance look a little different, but they take just as much, if not more, preparation. Our students worked hard, and they deserve our excitement and support.”

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